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Boasting 21kW more power than the stock E92, BMW’s new Frozen coupe limited edition is a very apt celebration of the M3’s 25th anniversary.
Twenty-five years ago BMW created an icon when it debuted the very first BMW M3 at the 1985 Frankfurt Motor Show.
At that time, the sportiest BMW 3 Series produced 150kW, reached 230km/h and nailed the 0-100km/h sprint in less than seven seconds.
That car founded a legacy of driver involvement, sublime handling and giant-killing performance that has passed to each of the car’s four generations but was never made available in South Africa because it had left-hand drive.
The first M3 to come here was the six-cylinder E36 M3 Coupe of the early 1990’s but, to meet demand for a sport BMW 3 Series in the late 1980’s, BMW SA’s plant at Rosslyn, near Pretoria, produced two very special BMW 3 Series just for South Africa.
The first was an Alpina-based BMW 333i that squeezed a 145kW, 3.2-litre straight six into the two-door BMW 3 Series sedan in 1985. Then, in the late 1980’s, the same plant created the BMW 325iS - though it was only a two-door 325i sedan with a body kit and a close-ratio gearbox that improved acceleration at the expense of top speed and fuel economy.
Further changes made the car competitive in South African saloon-car racing; the tweaking terminated with the 325iS Evo II of late 1991 which had a number of aluminium body panels and a 2.7-litre engine that made 155kW and could haul the car to 100km/h kin 7.5sec.
Now, to celebrate 25 years of the BMW M3, BMW SA’s Rosslyn team is at it again: they have created a special version of the current V8 BMW M3 Coupe to celebrate the quarter-century.
Only 25 will be assembled in a choice of Frozen Black or Frozen Grey. The paint finish is matte, the brake callipers red inside glossy, black 19-inch alloy rims and the upholstery black leather with red stitching.
Each unit will have the M Dual Clutch Transmission as part of the standard specification and rely heavily on performance-enhancing parts from AC Schnitzer, among them the exhaust pipe, intake manifold and revised engine management system.
The Frozen Edition BMW M3 Coupé will produce 330kW at 8400rpm and 420Nm at 3900rpm (the standard BMW M3 makes 309kW at 8300rpm and 400Nm at 3900rpm).
Only eight cars will be available in 2010, the rest in the first quarter of 2011.
Got R1 180 000?
Is the Frozen edition E92 M3 worth its premium price?
At that time, the sportiest BMW 3 Series produced 150kW, reached 230km/h and nailed the 0-100km/h sprint in less than seven seconds.
That car founded a legacy of driver involvement, sublime handling and giant-killing performance that has passed to each of the car’s four generations but was never made available in South Africa because it had left-hand drive.
The first M3 to come here was the six-cylinder E36 M3 Coupe of the early 1990’s but, to meet demand for a sport BMW 3 Series in the late 1980’s, BMW SA’s plant at Rosslyn, near Pretoria, produced two very special BMW 3 Series just for South Africa.
The first was an Alpina-based BMW 333i that squeezed a 145kW, 3.2-litre straight six into the two-door BMW 3 Series sedan in 1985. Then, in the late 1980’s, the same plant created the BMW 325iS - though it was only a two-door 325i sedan with a body kit and a close-ratio gearbox that improved acceleration at the expense of top speed and fuel economy.
Further changes made the car competitive in South African saloon-car racing; the tweaking terminated with the 325iS Evo II of late 1991 which had a number of aluminium body panels and a 2.7-litre engine that made 155kW and could haul the car to 100km/h kin 7.5sec.
Now, to celebrate 25 years of the BMW M3, BMW SA’s Rosslyn team is at it again: they have created a special version of the current V8 BMW M3 Coupe to celebrate the quarter-century.
Only 25 will be assembled in a choice of Frozen Black or Frozen Grey. The paint finish is matte, the brake callipers red inside glossy, black 19-inch alloy rims and the upholstery black leather with red stitching.
Each unit will have the M Dual Clutch Transmission as part of the standard specification and rely heavily on performance-enhancing parts from AC Schnitzer, among them the exhaust pipe, intake manifold and revised engine management system.
The Frozen Edition BMW M3 Coupé will produce 330kW at 8400rpm and 420Nm at 3900rpm (the standard BMW M3 makes 309kW at 8300rpm and 400Nm at 3900rpm).
Only eight cars will be available in 2010, the rest in the first quarter of 2011.
Got R1 180 000?
Is the Frozen edition E92 M3 worth its premium price?
